U.S. patent application number 15/147061 was filed with the patent office on 2016-11-10 for electrical receptacle connector.
The applicant listed for this patent is ADVANCED-CONNECTEK INC.. Invention is credited to LONG-FEI CHEN, Pin-Yuan Hou, Ya-Fen Kao, Chung-Fu Liao, Yu-Lun Tsai, Yang-Yang Zhou.
Application Number | 20160329646 15/147061 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 53851632 |
Filed Date | 2016-11-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160329646 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tsai; Yu-Lun ; et
al. |
November 10, 2016 |
ELECTRICAL RECEPTACLE CONNECTOR
Abstract
An electrical receptacle connector includes a metallic shell, an
insulated housing, a plurality of first receptacle terminals, a
plurality of second receptacle terminals, and a rear cover plate.
The insulated housing is received in the receiving cavity. The
first receptacle terminals and the second receptacle terminals are
respectively disposed at an upper portion and a lower portion of
the insulated housing. The rear cover plate includes a baffle plate
and one or more hole. The hole is formed on the surface of the
baffle plate for checking tail portions of the second receptacle
terminals which are formed as SMT (surface mount technology) legs.
Accordingly, the soldering condition between the tail portions of
the second receptacle terminals and contacts of a circuit board can
be checked from the hole.
Inventors: |
Tsai; Yu-Lun; (New Taipei
City, TW) ; Hou; Pin-Yuan; (New Taipei City, TW)
; Liao; Chung-Fu; (New Taipei City, TW) ; Kao;
Ya-Fen; (New Taipei City, TW) ; Zhou; Yang-Yang;
(New Taipei City, TW) ; CHEN; LONG-FEI; (New
Taipei City, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
ADVANCED-CONNECTEK INC. |
New Taipei City |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
53851632 |
Appl. No.: |
15/147061 |
Filed: |
May 5, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R 12/7011 20130101;
H01R 13/6581 20130101; H01R 13/6595 20130101; H01R 13/6585
20130101; H01R 13/516 20130101; H01R 12/75 20130101; H01R 12/722
20130101 |
International
Class: |
H01R 12/75 20060101
H01R012/75; H01R 13/516 20060101 H01R013/516; H01R 13/6581 20060101
H01R013/6581; H01R 12/70 20060101 H01R012/70 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 5, 2015 |
CN |
201510222935.9 |
Claims
1. An electrical receptacle connector, comprising: a metallic
shell, comprising a shell body and a receiving cavity formed in the
shell body; an insulated housing received in the receiving cavity,
wherein the insulated housing comprises a base portion and a tongue
portion extending from one side of the base portion, the tongue
portion has a first surface and a second surface, and the first
surface is opposite to the second surface; a plurality of first
receptacle terminals comprising a plurality of first signal
terminals, at least one power terminal, and at least one ground
terminal, wherein each of the first receptacle terminals is held in
the insulated housing and disposed at the first surface, wherein
each of the first receptacle terminals comprises a flat contact
portion, a body portion, and a tail portion, wherein the body
portion is held in the base portion and disposed at the first
surface of the tongue portion, the flat contact portion is
extending forward from the body portion in the rear-to-front
direction and partly exposed upon the first surface of the tongue
portion, the tail portion is extending backward from the body
portion in the front-to-rear direction and extending out of the
base portion; a plurality of second receptacle terminals comprising
a plurality of second signal terminals, at least one power
terminal, and at least one ground terminal, wherein each of the
second receptacle terminals is held in the insulated housing and
disposed at the second surface, wherein each of the second
receptacle terminals comprises a flat contact portion, a body
portion, and a tail portion, wherein the body portion is held in
the base portion and disposed at the second surface of the tongue
portion, the flat contact portion is extending forward from the
body portion in the rear-to-front direction and partly exposed upon
the second surface of the tongue portion, the tail portion is
extending backward from the body portion in the front-to-rear
direction and extending out of the base portion; and a rear cover
plate extending from the rear of the metallic shell to cover the
rear of the base portion, wherein the rear cover plate comprises a
baffle plate and a hole on the surface of the baffle plate, the
hole is for exposing the tail portions of the second receptacle
terminals.
2. The electrical receptacle connector according to claim 1,
wherein the insulated housing further comprises a rear side plate
extending from the rear of the base portion to cover the tail
portions of the second receptacle terminals, wherein the rear side
plate comprises a through groove, the tail portions of the second
receptacle terminals and the hole correspond to the through
groove.
3. The electrical receptacle connector according to claim 1,
wherein the baffle plate comprises a flat plate and a turning
portion extending from one side of the flat plate toward the rear
of the shell body, and the hole is formed on the surface of the
flat plate.
4. The electrical receptacle connector according to claim 1,
wherein several tail portions of the second receptacle terminals
are seen through a visible region of the hole.
5. The electrical receptacle connector according to claim 1,
wherein the rear cover plate further comprises a plurality of holes
on the surface of the baffle plate for exposing the tail portions
of the second receptacle terminals.
6. The electrical receptacle connector according to claim 5,
wherein each of the tail portions of the second receptacle
terminals is seen through a visible region of the corresponding
hole.
7. The electrical receptacle connector according to claim 5,
wherein a portion of each of the tail portions of the second
receptacle terminals and a portion of an adjacent tail portion of
the second receptacle terminal are seen through a visible region of
the corresponding hole.
8. The electrical receptacle connector according to claim 1,
wherein the shell body comprises an inner shell and a case, the
inner shell is circularly enclosing the insulated housing, the case
is circularly enclosing the inner shell, and the rear cover plate
is extending from the rear of the case and covers the rear of the
base portion.
9. The electrical receptacle connector according to claim 1,
further comprising a circuit board, wherein the circuit board
comprises a plurality of contacts, the tail portions of the second
receptacle terminals are formed as SMT legs to be in contact with
the contacts.
10. The electrical receptacle connector according to claim 1,
wherein the tail portions of the first receptacle terminals are
aligned by an offset with respect to the tail portions of the
second receptacle terminals.
11. The electrical receptacle connector according to claim 1,
wherein the first receptacle terminals and the second receptacle
terminals have 180 degree symmetrical design with respect to a
central point of the receiving cavity as the symmetrical
center.
12. The electrical receptacle connector according to claim 1,
wherein the position of the flat contact portions of the first
receptacle terminals corresponds to the position of the flat
contact portions of the second receptacle terminals.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This non-provisional application claims priority under 35
U.S.C. .sctn.119(a) on Patent Application No. 201510222935.9 filed
in China, P.R.C. on 2015 May, 5, the entire contents of which are
hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The instant disclosure relates to an electrical connector,
and more particular to an electrical receptacle connector.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Generally, Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a serial bus
standard to the PC architecture with a focus on computer interface,
consumer and productivity applications. The existing Universal
Serial Bus (USB) interconnects have the attributes of plug-and-play
and ease of use by end users. Now, as technology innovation marches
forward, new kinds of devices, media formats and large inexpensive
storage are converging. They require significantly more bus
bandwidth to maintain the interactive experience that users have
come to expect. In addition, the demand of a higher performance
between the PC and the sophisticated peripheral is increasing. The
transmission rate of USB 2.0 is insufficient. As a consequence,
faster serial bus interfaces such as USB 3.0, are developed, which
may provide a higher transmission rate so as to satisfy the need of
a variety devices.
[0004] The appearance, the structure, the contact ways of
terminals, the number of terminals, the pitches between terminals
(the distances between the terminals), and the pin assignment of
terminals of a conventional USB type-C electrical connector are
totally different from those of a conventional USB electrical
connector. A conventional USB type-C electrical receptacle
connector includes a plastic core, receptacle terminals held on the
plastic core, and an outer iron shell circularly enclosing the
plastic core. The conventional USB type-C electrical receptacle
connector further comprises a rear cover plate extending from the
outer iron shell. The rear cover plate is at the rear of the
connector and shields the rear of the plastic core. The rear cover
plate is to shield the electromagnetic radiations generated by the
receptacle terminals and to prevent noise interferences.
[0005] However, in the conventional, after the USB Type-C connector
is soldered with a circuit board, the legs (e.g., surface mounted
technology (SMT) legs) of the receptacle terminals are at the
bottom portion of the middle of the plastic core and soldered with
the circuit board, the soldering condition between the contacts of
the circuit board and the legs of the receptacle terminals cannot
be checked, and problems like soldering spots between adjacent
contacts are merged together or some of the legs are detached from
the contacts may occur. As a result, once the legs are not soldered
with the contacts properly, the conventional receptacle connector
has to be unsoldered followed by repeating the soldering procedure
again.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Accordingly, how to improve the existing connector becomes
an issue.
[0007] In view of this, an embodiment of the instant disclosure
provides an electrical receptacle connector. The electrical
receptacle connector comprises a metallic shell, an insulated
housing, a plurality of first receptacle terminals, a plurality of
second receptacle terminals, and a rear cover plate. The metallic
shell comprises a shell body and a receiving cavity formed therein.
The insulated housing is received in the receiving cavity. The
insulated housing comprises a base portion and a tongue portion
extending from one side of the base portion. The tongue portion has
a first surface (i.e., upper surface) and a second surface (i.e.,
lower surface) opposite to the first surface. The first receptacle
terminals comprise a plurality of first signal terminals, at least
one power terminal, and at least one ground terminal. Each of the
first receptacle terminals is held in the insulated housing and
disposed at the first surface. Each of the first receptacle
terminals comprises a flat contact portion, a body portion, and a
tail portion. The body portion is held in the base portion and
disposed at the first surface of the tongue portion. The flat
contact portion is extending forward from the body portion in the
rear-to-front direction and partly exposed upon the first surface
of the tongue portion. The tail portion is extending backward from
the body portion in the front-to-rear direction, and extending out
of the base portion. The second receptacle terminals comprise a
plurality of second signal terminals, at least one power terminal,
and at least one ground terminal. Each of the second receptacle
terminals is held in the insulated housing and disposed at the
second surface. Each of the second receptacle terminals comprises a
flat contact portion, a body portion, and a tail portion. The body
is held in the base portion and disposed at the second surface of
the tongue portion. The flat contact portion is extending forward
from the body portion in the rear-to-front direction and partly
exposed upon the second surface of the tongue portion. The tail
portion is extending backward from the body portion in the
front-to-rear direction and extending out of the base portion. The
rear cover plate is extending from the rear of the metallic shell
to cover the rear of the base portion. The rear cover plate
comprises a baffle plate and a hole formed on the surface of the
baffle plate for checking the tail portions of the second
receptacle terminals.
[0008] In some embodiments, the insulated housing further comprises
a rear side plate extending from the rear of the base portion to
cover the tail portions of the second receptacle terminals. The
rear side plate comprises a through groove. The tail portions of
the second receptacle terminals and the hole correspond to the
through groove.
[0009] In some embodiments, the baffle plate comprises a flat plate
and a turning portion extending from one side of the plat plate
toward the rear of the shell body, and the hole is formed on the
surface of the flat plate.
[0010] In some embodiments, the hole is correspondable to the
position of the tail portions of the second receptacle
terminals.
[0011] In some embodiments, the rear cover plate further comprises
a plurality of holes formed on the surface of the baffle plate for
checking the tail portions of the second receptacle terminals.
[0012] In some embodiments, the shell body comprises an inner shell
and a case. The inner shell is circularly enclosing the insulated
housing, the case is circularly enclosing the inner shell, and the
rear cover plate is extending from the rear of the case to cover
the rear of the base portion.
[0013] In some embodiments, the electrical receptacle connector
further comprises a circuit board. The circuit board comprises a
plurality of contacts, and the tail portions of the second
receptacle terminals are formed as SMT legs to be in contact with
the contacts.
[0014] In some embodiments, the tail portions of the first
receptacle terminals are aligned by an offset with respect to the
tail portions of the second receptacle terminals. In addition, the
first receptacle terminals and the second receptacle terminals have
180 degree symmetrical design with respect to a central point of
the receiving cavity as the symmetrical center. Moreover, the
position of the first receptacle terminals corresponds to the
position of the second receptacle terminals.
[0015] Based on the above, the holes of the rear cover plate allows
an observer to see therethrough and to check the soldering
condition between the tail portions of the second receptacle
terminals and the contacts of the circuit board. Therefore, the
soldering procedure can be redone when soldering spots are not
applied to the contacts and the tail portions properly, for
example, if the tail portions of the second receptacle terminals
and the contacts of the circuit board are not firmly in contact
with each other, or if the soldering spots between the tail
portions of the second receptacle terminals are merged together to
cause short circuit.
[0016] Furthermore, the first receptacle terminals and the second
receptacle terminals are arranged upside down, and the
pin-assignment of the flat contact portions of the first receptacle
terminals is left-right reversal with respect to that of the flat
contact portions of the second receptacle terminals. Accordingly,
the electrical receptacle connector can have a 180 degree
symmetrical, dual or double orientation design and pin assignments
which enables the electrical receptacle connector to be mated with
a corresponding plug connector in either of two intuitive
orientations, i.e. in either upside-up or upside-down directions.
Therefore, when an electrical plug connector is inserted into the
electrical receptacle connector with a first orientation, the flat
contact portions of the first receptacle terminals are in contact
with upper-row plug terminals of the electrical plug connector.
Conversely, when the electrical plug connector is inserted into the
electrical receptacle connector with a second orientation, the flat
contact portions of the second receptacle terminals are in contact
with the upper-row plug terminals of the electrical plug connector.
Note that, the inserting orientation of the electrical plug
connector is not limited by the electrical receptacle connector of
the instant disclosure.
[0017] Detailed description of the characteristics and the
advantages of the instant disclosure are shown in the following
embodiments. The technical content and the implementation of the
instant disclosure should be readily apparent to any person skilled
in the art from the detailed description, and the purposes and the
advantages of the instant disclosure should be readily understood
by any person skilled in the art with reference to content, claims
and drawings in the instant disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The instant disclosure will become more fully understood
from the detailed description given herein below for illustration
only, and thus not limitative of the instant disclosure,
wherein:
[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view (1) of an electrical
receptacle connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the
instant disclosure;
[0020] FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded view of the electrical
receptacle connector;
[0021] FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view (2) of the electrical
receptacle connector;
[0022] FIG. 4 illustrates a lateral sectional view of the
electrical receptacle connector;
[0023] FIG. 5 illustrates a front sectional view of the electrical
receptacle connector;
[0024] FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic configuration diagram of the
receptacle terminals of the electrical receptacle connector shown
in FIG. 5;
[0025] FIG. 7 illustrates a sectioned perspective view of the
electrical receptacle connector;
[0026] FIG. 8 illustrates a top view of the electrical receptacle
connector;
[0027] FIG. 9A illustrates a partial top view of one embodiment of
the electrical receptacle connector in which the electrical
receptacle connector has different number of holes; and
[0028] FIG. 9B illustrates a partial top view of another embodiment
of the electrical receptacle connector in which the position of
holes of the electrical receptacle connector is different.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0029] Please refer to FIGS. 1 to 4, which illustrate an electrical
receptacle connector 100 of an exemplary embodiment of the instant
disclosure. FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view (1) of an
electrical receptacle connector 100. FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded
view of the electrical receptacle connector 100. FIG. 3 illustrates
a perspective view (2) of the electrical receptacle connector 100.
FIG. 4 illustrates a lateral sectional view of the electrical
receptacle connector 100. In this embodiment, the electrical
receptacle connector 100 is assembled with a circuit board 8 by
sinking technique. That is, one side of the circuit board 8 is cut
to form a crack, and the electrical receptacle connector 100 is
positioned at the crack and extending toward the side portion of
the circuit board 8, but embodiments are not limited thereto. In
some embodiments, the electrical receptacle connector 100 may be
directly soldered on the surface of the circuit board 8, as shown
in FIG. 12. In other words, in such embodiment, the circuit board 8
does not have the crack for receiving the electrical receptacle
connector 100, and the electrical receptacle connector 100 can be
freely assembled on and electrically connected to any portion of
the surface of the circuit board 8 without altering the structure
of the components inside the connector. In this embodiment, the
electrical receptacle connector 100 can provide a reversible or
dual orientation USB Type-C connector interface and pin
assignments, i.e., a USB Type-C receptacle connector. In this
embodiment, the electrical receptacle connector 100 comprises a
metallic shell 11, an insulated housing 2, a plurality of first
receptacle terminals 31, a plurality of second receptacle terminals
41, and a rear cover plate 5.
[0030] The metallic shell 11 is a hollowed shell, and the metallic
shell 11 comprises a shell body 111 and a receiving cavity 112
formed in the shell body 111. In this embodiment, the shell body
111 is a tubular structure and defines the receiving cavity 112
therein. While in some embodiments, the metallic shell 11 may be
formed by a multi-piece member; in such embodiments, the shell body
111 further comprises an inner shell 121 and a case 122. The inner
shell 121 is a tubular structure circularly enclosing the insulated
housing 21, and the case 122 may also be a tubular structure
circularly enclosing the inner shell 121 and provided as an outer
shell structure of the inner shell 121. Alternatively, the case 122
may be a semi-tubular structure which has a U-shaped cross section,
and the case 122 can be covered on the top and two sides of the
inner shell 121 and provided as an outer shell structure of the
inner shell 121. In this embodiment, the rear cover plate 5 is at
the rear of the case 122, but embodiments are not limited thereto.
In some embodiments, the rear cover plate 5 may be at the rear of
the inner shell 121 and the case 122 is omitted. In addition, an
inserting opening 113 with oblong shaped is formed at one side of
the metallic shell 11, and the inserting opening 113 communicates
with the receiving cavity 112.
[0031] The insulated housing 2 is received in the receiving cavity
112 of the metallic shell 11. The insulated housing 2 comprises a
base portion 21 and a tongue portion 22. In this embodiment, the
base portion 21 and the tongue portion 22 may be made by injection
molding or the like, and a grounding plate 7 is formed in the base
portion 21 and the tongue portion 22. Moreover, the tongue portion
22 is extending from one side of the base portion 21. The tongue
portion 22 has two opposite surfaces, one is a first surface 221
(i.e., the upper surface), and the other is a second surface 222
(i.e., the lower surface). The tongue portion 22 further comprises
a front lateral surface 223. In this embodiment, the insulated
housing 2 further comprises a rear side plate 25 extending from the
rear of the base portion 21, and the rear side plate 25 comprises a
through groove 251.
[0032] Please refer to FIGS. 2, 4, and 6. The first receptacle
terminals 31 comprise a plurality of first signal terminals 311, at
least one power terminal 312, and at least one ground terminal 313.
Referring to FIG. 6, the first receptacle terminals 31 comprise,
from left to right, a ground terminal 313 (Gnd), a first pair of
first signal terminals 3111 (TX1+-, differential signal terminals),
a power terminal 312 (Power/VBUS), a first function detection
terminal 3141 (CC1, a terminal for inserting orientation detection
of the connector and for cable recognition), a second pair of first
signal terminals 3112 (D+-, differential signal terminals), a
supplement terminal 3142 (SBU1, a terminal can be reserved for
other purposes), another power terminal 312 (Power/VBUS), a third
pair of first signal terminals 3113 (RX2+-, differential signal
terminals), and another ground terminal 313 (Gnd). In this
embodiment, twelve first receptacle terminals 31 are provided for
transmitting USB 3.0 signals. In some embodiments, the rightmost
ground terminal 313 (Gnd) (or the leftmost ground terminal 313
(Gnd)) or the first supplement terminal 3142 (SBU1) can be further
omitted. Therefore, the total number of the first receptacle
terminals 31 can be reduced from twelve terminals to seven
terminals. Furthermore, the rightmost ground terminal 313 (Gnd) may
be replaced by a power terminal 312 (Power/VBUS) and provided for
power transmission. In this embodiment, the width of the power
terminal 312 (Power/VBUS) may be, but not limited to, equal to the
width of the first signal terminal 311. In some embodiments, the
width of the power terminal 312 (Power/VBUS) may be greater than
the width of the first signal terminal 311 and an electrical
receptacle connector 100 having the power terminal 312 (Power/VBUS)
can be provided for large current transmission.
[0033] Please refer to FIGS. 2, 4, and 6. The first receptacle
terminals 31 are held in the base portion 21 and the tongue portion
22. Each of the first receptacle terminals 31 comprises a flat
contact portion 315, a body portion 317, and a tail portion 316.
For each of the first receptacle terminals 31, the body portion 317
is held in the base portion 21 and the tongue portion 22, the flat
contact portion 315 is extending forward from the body portion 317
in the rear-to-front direction and partly exposed upon the first
surface 221 of the tongue portion 22, and the tail portion 316 is
extending backward from the body portion 317 in the front-to-rear
direction and protruded from the base portion 21. The first signal
terminals 311 are disposed at the first surface 221 and transmit
first signals (namely, USB 3.0 signals). The tail portions 316 are
protruded from the bottom of the base portion 21. In addition, the
tail portions 316 may be, but not limited to, bent horizontally to
form flat legs, named SMT (surface mounted technology) legs, which
can be mounted or soldered on the surface of a printed circuit
board by using surface mount technology. In some embodiments, the
tail portions 316 are extending downwardly to form vertical legs,
named through-hole legs, that are inserted into holes drilled in a
printed circuit board by using through-hole technology.
[0034] Please refer to FIGS. 2, 4, and 6. The second receptacle
terminals 41 comprise a plurality of second signal terminals 411,
at least one power terminal 412, and at least one ground terminal
413. Referring to FIG. 6, the second receptacle terminals 41
comprise, from right to left, a ground terminal 413 (Gnd), a first
pair of second signal terminals 4111 (TX2+-, differential signal
terminals), a power terminal 412 (Power/VBUS), a second function
detection terminal 4141 (CC2, a terminal for inserting orientation
detection of the connector and for cable recognition), a second
pair of second signal terminals 4112 (D+-, differential signal
terminals), a supplement terminal 4142 (SBU2, a terminal can be
reserved for other purposes), another power terminals 412
(Power/VBUS), a third pair of second signal terminals 4113 (RX1+1,
differential signal terminals), and another ground terminal 413
(Gnd). In this embodiment, twelve second receptacle terminals 41
are provided for transmitting USB 3.0 signals. In some embodiments,
the rightmost ground terminal 413 (or the leftmost ground terminal
413) or the second supplement terminal 4142 (SBU2) can be further
omitted. Therefore, the total number of the second receptacle
terminals 41 can be reduced from twelve terminals to seven
terminals. Furthermore, the rightmost ground terminal 413 may be
replaced by a power terminal 412 and provided for power
transmission. In this embodiment, the width of the power terminal
412 (Power/VBUS) may be, but not limited to, equal to the width of
the second signal terminal 411. In some embodiments, the width of
the power terminal 412 (Power/VBUS) may be greater than the width
of the second signal terminal 411 and an electrical receptacle
connector 100 having the power terminal 412 (Power/VBUS) can be
provided for large current transmission.
[0035] Please refer to FIGS. 2, 4, and 6. The second receptacle
terminals 41 are held in the base portion 21 and the tongue portion
22. The length of each of the first receptacle terminals 31 is
greater than that of the corresponding second receptacle terminal
41; that is, the exposed length of each of the first receptacle
terminals 31 is greater than that of the corresponding second
receptacle terminal 41. Each of the second receptacle terminals 41
comprises a flat contact portion 415, a body portion 417, and a
tail portion 416. For each of the second receptacle terminals 41,
the body portion 417 is held in the base portion 21 and the tongue
portion 22, the flat contact portion 415 is extending from the body
portion 417 in the rear-to-front direction and partly exposed upon
the second surface 222 of the tongue portion 22, and the tail
portion 416 is extending backward from the body portion 417 in the
front-to-rear direction and protruded from the base portion 21. The
second signal terminals 411 are disposed at the second surface 222
and provided for transmitting second signals (i.e., USB 3.0
signals). The tail portions 416 are protruded from the bottom of
the base portion 21. In addition, the tail portions 416 may be, but
not limited to, bent horizontally to form flat legs, named SMT
legs, which can be mounted or soldered on the surface of a printed
circuit board by using surface mount technology.
[0036] Please refer to FIGS. 2, 4, and 6. In this embodiment, the
first receptacle terminals 31 and the second receptacle terminals
41 are respectively disposed at the first surface 221 and the
second surface 222 of the tongue portion 22. Additionally,
pin-assignments of the first receptacle terminals 31 and the second
receptacle terminals 41 are point-symmetrical with a central point
of the receiving cavity 112 as the symmetrical center. In other
words, pin-assignments of the first receptacle terminals 31 and the
second receptacle terminals 41 have 180 degree symmetrical design
with respect to the central point of the receiving cavity 112 as
the symmetrical center. The dual or double orientation design
enables an electrical plug connector to be inserted into the
electrical receptacle connector 100 in either of two intuitive
orientations, i.e., in either upside-up or upside-down directions.
Here, point-symmetry means that after the first receptacle
terminals 31 (or the second receptacle terminals 41), are rotated
by 180 degrees with the symmetrical center as the rotating center,
the first receptacle terminals 31 and the second receptacle
terminals 41 are overlapped. That is, the rotated first receptacle
terminals 31 are arranged at the position of the original second
receptacle terminals 41, and the rotated second receptacle
terminals 41 are arranged at the position of the original first
receptacle terminals 31. In other words, the first receptacle
terminals 31 and the second receptacle terminals 41 are arranged
upside down, and the pin assignments of the flat contact portions
315 are left-right reversal with respect to that of the flat
contact portions 415. An electrical plug connector is inserted into
the electrical receptacle connector 100 with a first orientation
where the first surface 221 is facing up, for transmitting first
signals. Conversely, the electrical plug connector is inserted into
the electrical receptacle connector 100 with a second orientation
where the first surface 221 is facing down, for transmitting second
signals. Furthermore, the specification for transmitting the first
signals is conformed to the specification for transmitting the
second signals. Note that, the inserting orientation of the
electrical plug connector is not limited by the electrical
receptacle connector 100 according embodiments of the instant
disclosure.
[0037] Please refer to FIGS. 2, 4, and 6. In this embodiment, as
viewed from the front of the receptacle terminals 31, 41, the
position of the first receptacle terminals 31 corresponds to the
position of the second receptacle terminals 41.
[0038] Additionally, in some embodiments, the electrical receptacle
connector 100 is devoid of the first receptacle terminals 31 (or
the second receptacle terminals 41) when an electrical plug
connector to be mated with the electrical receptacle connector 100
has upper and lower plug terminals. In the case that the first
receptacle terminals 31 are omitted, the upper plug terminals or
the lower plug terminals of the electrical plug connector are in
contact with the second receptacle terminals 41 of the electrical
receptacle connector 100 when the electrical plug connector is
inserted into the electrical receptacle connector 100 with the dual
orientations. Conversely, in the case that the second receptacle
terminals 41 are omitted, the upper plug terminals or the lower
plug terminals of the electrical plug connector are in contact with
the first receptacle terminals 31 of the electrical receptacle
connector 100 when the electrical plug connector is inserted into
the electrical receptacle connector 100 with the dual
orientations.
[0039] Please refer to FIGS. 2, 4 and 6. In this embodiment, the
tail portions 316, 416 are protruded from the base portion 211 and
arranged separately. The tail portions 316, 416 may be arranged
into two parallel rows. Alternatively, the tail portions 416 may be
aligned into two rows and the first row of the tail portions 416 is
aligned by an offset with respect to the second row of the tail
portions 416; thus, the tail portions 316, 416 form three rows.
[0040] Please refer to FIGS. 2, 4, and 6. In this embodiment, the
position of the first receptacle terminals 31 corresponds to the
position of the second receptacle terminals 41. In other words, the
position of the flat contact portions 315 correspond to the
position of the flat contact portions 415, but embodiments are not
limited thereto. In some embodiments, the first receptacle
terminals 31 may be aligned by an offset with respect to the second
receptacle terminals 41. That is, the flat contact portions 315 are
aligned by an offset with respect to the flat contact portions 415.
In addition, the position of the tail portions 316 may correspond
to the position of the tail portion 416. Alternatively, the tail
portions 316 may be aligned by an offset with respect to the tail
portions 416. Accordingly, because of the offset alignment of the
receptacle terminals 31, 41, the crosstalk between the first
receptacle terminals 31 and the second receptacle terminals 41 can
be reduced during signal transmission. It is understood that, when
the receptacle terminals 31, 41 of the electrical receptacle
connector 100 have the offset alignment, plug terminals of an
electrical plug connector to be mated with the electrical
receptacle connector 100 would also have the offset alignment.
Hence, the plug terminals of the electrical plug connector can be
in contact with the receptacle terminals 31, 41 of the electrical
receptacle connector 100 for power or signal transmission.
[0041] In the foregoing embodiments, the receptacle terminals 31,
41 are provided for transmitting USB 3.0 signals, but embodiments
are not limited thereto. In some embodiments, for the first
receptacle terminals 31 in accordance with transmission of USB 2.0
signals, the first pair of first signal terminals 3111 (TX1+-) and
the third pair of first signal terminals 3113 (RX2+-) are omitted,
and the second pair of first signal terminals 3112 (D+-) 41 and the
power terminals 312 (Power/VBUS) are retained. While for the second
receptacle terminals 41 in accordance with transmission of USB 2.0
signals, the first pair of second signal terminals 4111 (TX2+-) and
the third pair of second signal terminals 4113 (RX1+-) are omitted,
and the second pair of second signal terminals 4112 (D+-) and the
power terminals 412 (Power/VBUS) are retained.
[0042] Please refer to FIGS. 2, 3, 7, and 8. The rear cover plate 5
is an elongate plate and is at the rear of the metallic shell 5. In
addition, the rear cover plate 5 and the metallic shell 11 may be a
unitary member or separated members. In this embodiment, the rear
cover plate 5 and the metallic shell 11 are formed as a unitary
member and the rear cover plate 5 comprises a baffle plate 51 and a
plurality of holes 53. In this embodiment, the baffle plate 51
comprises a flat plate 511 and a turning portion 512 extending from
one side of the flat plate 511 toward the rear of the shell body
111. The holes 53 are formed on the surface of the flat plate 511.
The number and the position of the holes 53 may be or may not be
correspond to the number and the position of the tail portions 416
of the second receptacle terminals 41. As shown in FIG. 8, the
holes 53 correspond to the tail portions 416 of the second
receptacle terminals 41, but embodiments are not limited thereto.
In detail, in the embodiment of FIG. 8, each of the tail portions
416 of the second receptacle terminals 41 is seen through the
visible region of the corresponding hole 53. In FIG. 9B, the holes
53 do not correspond to the tail portions 416 of the second
receptacle terminals 41 but correspond to the portions between tail
portions 416 of the second receptacle terminals 41. In detail, in
the embodiment shown in FIG. 9B, a portion of a tail portion 416
and a portion of an adjacent tail portion 416 are seen through the
visible region of each of the holes 53. In addition, the width of
the hole 53 may be less than, greater than, or equal to the width
of the tail portion 416 of the second receptacle terminal 41.
[0043] Please refer to FIGS. 2, 3, 7, and 8. The tail portions 316
of the first receptacle terminals 31 are protruded from the bottom
of the rear side plate 25 outward. The positions of the tail
portions 316 of the first receptacle terminals 31, the tail
portions 416 of the second receptacle terminals 41, and the holes
53 on the rear cover plate 5 correspond to the position of the
through groove 251. Because of the offset alignment between the
tail portions 316 of the first receptacle terminals 31 and the tail
portions 416 of the second receptacle terminals 41, the tail
portions 416 of the second receptacle terminals 41 would not be
shielded by the tail portions 316 of the first receptacle terminals
31 when being viewed from the holes 53. Therefore, an observer (who
may be a user or an operator) can check if the tail portions 416 of
the second receptacle terminals 41 and the contacts 81 of the
circuit board 8 are firmly in contact with each other and check if
the soldering spots between the tail portions 416 of the second
receptacle terminals 41 are merged together to cause short circuit.
The soldering procedure can be redone when soldering spots are not
applied to the contacts 81 and the tail portions 416 properly.
Here, the term "check" means to perform visual inspection, i.e., to
see through the holes 53 if the contacts 81 of the circuit board 8
are firmly soldered with the tail portions 416 (as SMT legs) of the
second receptacle terminals 41 or if the soldering procedure should
be redone. In the contrary, because the positions of the tail
portions 416 of the second receptacle terminals 41 are at the lower
portion of the rear side plate 25, once the rear cover plate 25 is
devoid of the holes 53, the observer cannot check the soldering
condition between the tail portions 416 of the second receptacle
terminals 41 and the contacts 81 of the circuit board 8 after the
electrical receptacle connector 100 is assembled to the circuit
board 8.
[0044] Please refer to FIG. 9A. In some embodiments, the rear cover
plate 5 may have two or more holes 53. By increasing the width of
the hole 53, the soldering condition between the tail portions 416
of the second receptacle terminals 41 and the contacts 81 of the
circuit board 8 therefore can be checked, but embodiments are not
limited thereto. In some embodiments, the width of the hole 53 is
less than or equal to the width of the tail portion 416 of the
second receptacle terminal 41, and an observer can check, through
the holes 53 by adjusting the angle of his or her eyesight, the
overall soldering condition between the tail portions 416 of the
second receptacle terminals 41 and the contacts 81 of the circuit
board 8. For example, by seeing through the holes 53, the observer
may check the left sides of the tail portions 416 of the second
receptacle terminals 41 firstly followed by checking the right
sides of the tail portions 416 of the second receptacle terminals
41. In some embodiments, the rear cover plate 5 may comprise a hole
53 having a greater width than that of the forgoing embodiment, so
that the observer can check the soldering condition between the
tail portions 416 of the second receptacle terminals 41 and the
contacts 81 of the circuit board 8 through the hole 53. In the two
foregoing embodiments, several tail portions 416 of the second
receptacle terminals 41 can be seen through the visible region of
each of the holes 53. It is understood that, because the baffle
plate 51 is not closely attached to the tail portions 416 of the
second receptacle terminals 41, the actual size of the hole 53 is
substantially smaller than the size of the visible region of the
hole 53.
[0045] Please refer to FIG. 3. In this embodiment, the rear cover
plate 5 further comprises a plurality of fixing pieces at two sides
of the baffle plate 51, and the metallic shell 11 further comprises
a plurality of lateral plates at two sides of the shell body 111.
When the rear cover plate 5 covers the rear of the metallic shell
11, the fixing pieces are respectively buckled with the lateral
plates.
[0046] Please refer to FIGS. 2, 4, and 5. In some embodiments, the
electrical receptacle connector 100 further comprises a grounding
plate 7 at the insulated housing 2. The grounding plate 7 comprises
a plate body 71 and a plurality of legs 72. The plate body 71 is
between the flat contact portions 315 of the first receptacle
terminals 31 and the flat contact portions 415 of the second
receptacle terminals 41. In other words, the plate body 71 is held
in the base portion 21 and the tongue portion 22 and between the
flat contact portions 315, 415. In addition, the legs 72 are
respectively extending downward from two sides of the plate body 71
and extending out of the bottom of the base portion 21. The legs 72
are in contact with the contacts 81 of the circuit board 8.
Moreover, the legs 72 may be extending backward from the two sides
of the plate body 71 toward the rear of the base portion 21, and
the legs 72 are in contact with the rear cover plate 5. The
crosstalk interference can be reduced by the shielding of the
grounding plate 7 when the flat contact portions 315, 415 transmit
signals. Furthermore, the structural strength of the tongue portion
22 can be improved by the assembly of the grounding plate 7.
Moreover, the legs 72 extending downward from the two sides of the
plate body 71 may be provided as through-hole legs, and the legs 72
are exposed from the base portion 21 to be in contact with the
circuit board 8. Furthermore, the grounding plate 7 comprises a
plurality of hooks 73 protruded from two sides of the tongue
portion 22. When an electrical plug connector is mated with the
electrical receptacle connector 100, elastic pieces at two sides of
an insulated housing of the electrical plug are engaged with the
hooks 73, and the elastic pieces would not wear against the tongue
portion 22 of the electrical receptacle connector 100.
Additionally, the electrical plug connector may further comprise a
plurality of protruded abutting portions, and the protruded
abutting portions are in contact with the metallic shell 11 of the
electrical receptacle connector 100. Hence, the elastic pieces and
the protruded abutting portions are provided for conduction and
grounding.
[0047] Please refer to FIGS. 2 and 4. In this embodiment, the
electrical receptacle connector 100 further comprises a plurality
of conductive sheets. The conductive sheets are metal elongated
plates and may comprise an upper conductive sheet and a lower
conductive sheet. The upper conductive sheet is assembled on the
upper portion of the base portion 21, and the lower conductive
sheet is assembled on the lower portion of the base portion 21.
When an electrical plug connector is mated with the electrical
receptacle connector 100, the front of a metallic shell of the
electrical plug connector is in contact with the conductive sheets,
the metallic shell of the electrical plug connector is efficiently
in contact with the metallic shell 11 of the electrical receptacle
connector 100 via the conductive sheets, and the electromagnetic
interference problem can be improved.
[0048] Based on the above, the holes of the rear cover plate allows
an observer to see therethrough and to check the soldering
condition between the tail portions of the second receptacle
terminals and the contacts of the circuit board. Therefore, the
soldering procedure can be redone when soldering spots are not
applied to the contacts and the tail portions properly, for
example, if the tail portions of the second receptacle terminals
and the contacts of the circuit board are not firmly in contact
with each other, or if the soldering spots between the tail
portions of the second receptacle terminals are merged together to
cause short circuit.
[0049] Furthermore, the first receptacle terminals and the second
receptacle terminals are arranged upside down, and the
pin-assignment of the flat contact portions of the first receptacle
terminals is left-right reversal with respect to that of the flat
contact portions of the second receptacle terminals. Accordingly,
the electrical receptacle connector can have a 180 degree
symmetrical, dual or double orientation design and pin assignments
which enables the electrical receptacle connector to be mated with
a corresponding plug connector in either of two intuitive
orientations, i.e. in either upside-up or upside-down directions.
Therefore, when an electrical plug connector is inserted into the
electrical receptacle connector with a first orientation, the flat
contact portions of the first receptacle terminals are in contact
with upper-row plug terminals of the electrical plug connector.
Conversely, when the electrical plug connector is inserted into the
electrical receptacle connector with a second orientation, the flat
contact portions of the second receptacle terminals are in contact
with the upper-row plug terminals of the electrical plug connector.
Note that, the inserting orientation of the electrical plug
connector is not limited by the electrical receptacle connector of
the instant disclosure.
[0050] While the instant disclosure has been described by the way
of example and in terms of the preferred embodiments, it is to be
understood that the invention need not be limited to the disclosed
embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various
modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit
and scope of the appended claims, the scope of which should be
accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such
modifications and similar structures.
* * * * *